Start Exercising

One of the biggest challenges of losing weight is to start exercising. And that shouldn’t be a surprise, because getting started is the hardest part of almost any task in life.

I’ve been a runner for many years, and I still feel like staying in bed instead of running of many of my long training runs.

But I know that the feeling will vanish in the first mile and it’ll soon be replaced with an over-whelming sense of satisfaction both during and after the run.

And I also know that if I stay in bed, the feeling of regret and missed-opportunity are much worse! So what can we do to get over this mental hurdle and not only start exercising, but stay exercising?

We need to make a commitment. We need to make up our minds that exercise is a good investment of our time and that it’ll make our life better. Aside from wanting to have the body of someone that works out, here are some other benefits you’ll likely receive when you start exercising:

Benefits of Exercising

Stress reduction

Lower blood pressure

Lower cholesterol

Stronger heart & circulatory system

Reduced risk of heart disease

Reduced risk of getting diabetes

Stronger lungs and respiratory system

Increased chance of living a longer life

Imagine a product that was advertised with the above selling points…imagine what the price tag would be for that? Good news…It will only cost you a commitment to yourself. There are no wonder gadgets or equipment out there that will do the work for you (despite all of the infomercials to the contrary)…you must supply the hard work yourself…and it gets much easier after you’ve committed to it in your mind. You don’t have to be perfect, or even exercise every day without missing a day. But you willneed to adopt better health habits gradually, and start exercising to the point where it becomes part of your routine.

It can be overwhelming to look at all of the exercise guidance out there. If you ask for advice, you’ll get answers all over the board and you may feel like an exercise program is just too much to fit into your life right now. It doesn’t have to be that way. It can be something as simple as a 15-minute walk three times this week. This could be followed by walking three times next week with a set of 3-minute calisthenics every other morning…and so on.

The real challenge in starting an exercise routine is not one gargantuan effort, but rather the ability to keep doing & build upon that which we start.

If you haven’t run in years, don’t try to run everyday during Week 1. You’ll burn out. Your body will revolt by mental and physical fatigue, and you’ll likely lose all motivation to continue in Week 2…and you might even push yourself to the point of injury. Look at exercise like saving for retirement – it’s more important to save a little each week than it is to try to save it all up at once. Exercise pays dividends…and those dividends take time and persistence.

If you want to start exercising and get to your fitness goals, use the steps below to make a plan for yourself to get there:

Make an Exercise Plan

Make a commitment to YOU - write your goal down

Make a rough time-line of gradual increases in exercise intensity

Make a log to track your workouts – you can combine this with your food log

Give yourself some time off during each week to rest and recuperate

Forgive yourself when you fall out of the routine & jump right back into it

Ready to start exercising? Go to the exercise plan page and build your plan. There are many pages of guidance on this site with all the information and motivation that you need. Starting is the hardest part – so go on out there and get that part over with!